How COVID-19 has infected the cyberworld

If you’re a sentient being, you’ve most likely been affected in some way by the coronavirus, and taken steps to minimize personal health risks. But have you been cognizant of potential cyber risks? It’s been said that you should never let a good crisis go to waste – which is sadly, the mindset of most cybercriminals. With mass hysteria on the rise, cybercriminals are taking advantage of corona panic to find ways to install malware, implement ransomware attacks, send out phishing campaigns, and more.

What are the primary threats?

Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, has reported a substantial increase in domain registrations connected to the coronavirus, which are likely “being used to either pilfer information from recipients or infect them with malware,” according to Forbes. Cybersecurity experts who have analyzed the report indicated that the following domains showed signs of malicious purpose or potential risk:

corona-virus[.]healthcare

survivecoronavirus[.]org

vaccine-coronavirus[.]com

coronavirus[.]cc

bestcoronavirusprotect[.]tk

coronavirusupdate[.]tk

coronavirusstatus[.]space

coronavirus-map[.]com

blogcoronacl.canalcero[.]digital

coronavirus[.]zone

coronavirus-realtime[.]com

coronavirus[.]app

bgvfr.coronavirusaware[.]xyz

coronavirusaware[.]xyz

To protect yourself, avoid visiting any of the sites above, and be on the alert for any emails which originate from any of the above domains. Don’t click on links or download any attachments from such emails – just delete.

Techniques seen since the start of the year include bogus emails with links claiming to have important updates, which once clicked on lead to devices being infected. These ‘phishing’ attempts have been seen in several countries and can lead to loss of money and sensitive data.

It’s not just your personal health at stake in the global pandemic crisis – countless cybercriminals would like to threaten your personal information as well by playing off coronavirus concerns. Stay informed, don’t download attachments or open links from unknown senders, and be wary of what apps you download and sites you visit.